Page 6 of Made for You
“It’s fine. You needed Gram and you weren’t expecting me.”
He nodded. “No. I wasn’t. But, hi.” He extended a large hand. “I’m Bruce Camden. I’ve lived next door for a little over a year.”
On reflex, I took his hand like I would anyone else’s, but the second our palms pressed together, our fingers gripping just enough to hold on and not be weird, everything in me stopped. Eyes on our hands as they shook up, then down, I had no coherent thought beyond this wild, fleeting thought that went something like,I can’t wait to know you.
What the heck?
My usual thought when confronted with strangers flitted something along the lines of reluctant acceptance that meeting new people was a necessary evil in life. And though I’d promised myself I’d make an effort here, I had never felteagerto get to know someone.
None of this made sense, but we’d already released hands from the brief shake, and I still hadn’t spoken, so I responded. “Nikki Hastings. I’m Rosie’s great-niece, and I’ve lived here for less than forty-eight hours.”
When I met Bruce’s gaze, my pulse jumped at the soft, perplexed look on his face. Before I could think much about it, though, he blinked a few times as though to clear his mind and then grinned.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nikki. I’m sure I’ll see you again, and thank you for giving me a minute to apologize. I hope you have a good day.” With a small nod, he turned and walked back toward his house.
I admit, I watched him go in a daze. I couldn’t put my thumb on it, but I felt markedly different after meeting Bruce, like shaking his hand was the key that unlocked a door I hadn’t seen standing in my way or the answer to an equation I hadn’t even realized had been on the blackboard of my mind.
What is wrong with you?
Logic had short-circuited.Huh.I shook off all those fanciful thoughts and got into the car, doing everything I could to push Bruce Camden from my mind and focus on my upcoming interview. This was the biggest and best accountancy firm in the small city and the closest to an obvious workplace for me as it got. I couldn’t afford the distraction of a gorgeous man who was nicer than he should be and way too close for comfort.
* * *
I slumped down into the booth and mumbled, “Coffee” without looking up. If I caught a sympathetic gaze, I’d probably lose it and cry right here in this diner apparently cleverly namedDiner. Hard no. I would not be the weepy new resident. And no, the town wasn’t that small, but it sure felt it. My hand curled around the small stone in my pocket like it had a hundred times today. A feeble effort in finding comfort, and frankly, completely senseless. And yet, this little stone had been with me since I left Silverton years ago, and like a talisman reminding me I wasn’t alone in the world, I never left home without it. Living in the house I’d taken it from didn’t seem to dim my need to have it with me.
“You new here?”
I looked up at the softly spoken words coming from the woman setting a mug of steaming coffee in front of me.
Couldn’t very well ignore her, could I? “Sure am. That obvious?”
She smiled in a warm, friendly way. Her dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she had creamy skin with freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She was around my age, in her early thirties give or take, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was blushing.
“It’s probably less that you’re obvious and more that I observe people a lot, and I also happen to know Ms. Rosie.” Her head swiveled to the pickup window and she held up a hand, then hustled to go get whatever was waiting there for her.
I sipped from my mug, my mind veering to its preferred default, thus estimating the number of steps she took in a day between any given table and the pickup window. I hoped she liked being on her feet, because I’d bet within a standard deviation of a thousand steps it was well over ten K based on her being the only waitress on the floor.
As draining as the day had already been, it felt good to talk to someone who knew Gram, even if I didn’t know this woman. She felt like less of a stranger since she knew someone I did. It made the town feel smaller, which was both good and bad, I supposed, but I chose for that to be a good thing right about now.
The scalding coffee cooled quickly, and the waitress returned before it’d lost all warmth and topped it off. I’d forgotten how hot food and drink seemed to cool down faster thanks to a lower boiling point at higher altitudes.
“I’m Catherine, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Nikki. And obviously, you know Gram, so you know why I’m here.” Or at least who I’m staying with. Hopefully, Gram hadn’t shared the real why with anyone. Not quite the impression I wanted to make to start with my miserable failure in California laid bare in front of strangers.
“I guess I do. It’s great you could come help her out. Are you staying for a while, or just passing through?” She pulled a pencil from behind her ear and slipped it down into the pocket of her apron. Her nails weren’t manicured and looked a bit dry, likely from all the hand-washing required by the job.
Nudging the coffee mug out of the way, I sighed. “I think indefinitely, though the job prospects are looking pretty slim.” I mumbled the last part, not exactly enthusiastic to share the status of my working life, especially to someone clearly used to hard work. Maybe one dead-end interview wasn’t cause for this level of discouragement, but I had fully loaded my expectations into the tidy little basket of that one job.
“Oh, good. I mean, not about the job prospects, of course, but the staying indefinitely. And not to be the weirdo local who’s too excited for you to get here, but this is my phone number. If you ever want to grab a coffee or”—she eyed my empty mug and her blush deepened—“a margarita or anything, let me know. Everyone needs a friend in a new place.”
“Thank you. Seriously, that’s so nice. I’m sorry to ask, but can I grab the check? I’m actually meeting Gram—Rosie.” I hated to rush, but my alarm had just gone off, and I’d feel better once I shared the news with Gram. Maybe she’d show me around town and distract me.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. On the house for your first visit.” She gave me a shy smile. “I’ll see you again soon, I hope.”
“Thank you, you’re so kind. And yes, definitely.” As miserable as I felt, knowing I had at least oneprospectivenew friend was not nothing. It was something. And I needed to collect those like diamonds.
With one last wave, I dragged myself out of the diner and across the street, right past the scene of my disappointment and a little farther down. I was supposed to meet Gram at a restaurant called Guac, which I vaguely remembered had excellent chips and guac, but stumbled upon her standing on the sidewalk just outside it, chatting animatedly with someone sitting at a table in front, in the little sidewalk café area.
